The present invention relates to a device for connecting the gangway bellows cover and the chassis of articulated vehicles, in particular for articulated vehicles such as buses.
In articulated or jointed vehicles, such as city buses, the connection between the two coaches of which the vehicle consists is made by means of rotary platforms able to allow both passenger transit and standing in the connecting zone.
The connection must, necessarily guarantee safety conditions even when the vehicle is cornering, that is to say, even when the two coaches are not aligned with each other.
There are prior art connecting devices consisting of a substantially inverted U-shaped gangway bellows cover whose ends are connected to the free ends of the two coaches, in such a way that the gangway bellows cover covers the rotary platform zone and deforms when the vehicle adopts configurations in which the two coaches are not aligned.
In particular, the gangway bellows cover-style connecting device has an accordion shape, that is to say, it has a plurality of U-shaped bands made of flexible material, usually plasticized fabric, which are joined together longitudinally.
There is also usually an additional inner gangway bellows cover, extending between a lateral wall of the gangway bellows cover and the rotary platform to provide improved protection for the joint between the lateral wall of the gangway bellows cover and the rotary platform.
The gangway bellows cover is stably fixed to the corresponding ends of the two coaches of the vehicle by means of suitably made connecting systems. These connecting systems comprise a metal section rigidly connected to the vehicle chassis and extending along the entire perimeter of the chassis.
Said section forms a compartment for housing a rubber seal designed to engage with an end edge of the gangway bellows cover.
In more detail, the end edge of the gangway bellows cover is connected by suitable connecting strips to a cable having a cross-section which is much greater than the cross-section of the gangway bellows cover. Said cable is inserted in a cavity in the seal, made between respective deformable tabs. In this way, the cable remains engaged inside the cavity, forming a stable connection between the gangway bellows cover and the seal.
There are also connecting undercuts between the seal and the housing compartment, for anchoring the seal to the metal section.
However, connecting systems of the type described above have significant disadvantages.
First, with the passage of time the seal may lose its elastic properties and therefore allow the cable to come out of the respective cavity, causing detachment of the gangway bellows cover from the chassis.
Moreover, the loss of seal elastic properties may result in damage to the connecting undercuts, with consequent detachment of the seal from the section.
In addition, damage to the seal may cause the formation of openings and cracks which may be infiltrated by water or other debris.
Finally, another disadvantage is the connecting strips joining the end edge and the cable, which do not guarantee a stable connection with the cable.